


Take A Load Off

by ClothesBeam, stupiddragon



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Dom/sub, Finger Sucking, M/M, Mind Control, Oral Sex, Threesome - M/M/M, something something software into hardware
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:21:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClothesBeam/pseuds/ClothesBeam, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupiddragon/pseuds/stupiddragon
Summary: As Lieutenant of the new cybercrime division, Nine often gets tired of making all the tough decisions. He’s grateful Connor has a unique way of ensuring he’ll never feel the same way about his home life, and that it can involve Gavin as well.
Relationships: Connor/Gavin Reed, Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 4
Kudos: 98
Collections: New ERA Discord: Winter Big Bang





	Take A Load Off

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written by ClothesBeam and illustrated by stupiddragon (SebBlaze on IG) for New Era’s ‘finding home’ themed Big Bang event.  
> If you’re interested in checking out the New Era discord server, you can join by going to this link: https://discord.gg/GqvNzUm

Nine sighed to himself as the automated taxi turned into Gavin’s street. A few of the houses had holiday lights out on the porch or fence, which added the odd splash of colour to his late night commute.

He looked back down at his knees and rubbed his forehead. His mind was still rehashing his long day of dealing with identity theft, fraud, and the range of new devices with no semblance of security hitting the shelves for the holidays.

When the car pulled up outside of Gavin’s house—which, on reflection, he should probably start referring to as his own home—Nine leaned forward to connect to the pay point with his hand. While the transaction processed, he automatically scanned it for an implanted device that would allow a malicious actor to skim cards or otherwise make false transactions. He didn’t find any flaws, but he wasn’t particularly impressed by the design of the machine’s code either.

Adding a task to his internal list for tomorrow that involved communicating his analysis to the manufacturer, Nine exited the vehicle and made his way over to the front door. Since Gavin and Connor were there, all he had to do was scan his hand against the sensor hidden in the doorknob. Physical keys were only required when no one was home.

Nine carefully closed the door behind him and engaged the manual lock, since no one should need to go through it again until morning. By the time he turned back, Connor was standing a short distance away.

He was dressed in loose red and white tartan pyjamas. Changing their clothes after coming back in the evening was something they’d started doing at Gavin’s suggestion. Nine wasn’t entirely sure why, but Connor seemed to appreciate the soft texture if nothing else.

“What’s wrong, Nine?” Connor asked.

Nine enjoyed the softer timbre of his voice. It reminded him it was time to rest and relax. He didn’t have to go until his disk fragmented beyond use. At least, not every day.

He didn’t startle when Connor reached out to smooth the line between his eyebrows with his thumb. Nine felt the corner of his mouth lift at the silly gesture. Connor had identified himself and his intention by establishing a wireless connection before touching him, but Gavin had found out why this was necessary the hard way when he’d first performed this gesture so many months ago.

Nine had learnt to not feel guilty about knocking him on his ass anymore. Gavin was used to bouncing back from that kind of thing, and would have told him to fuck off by now if there wasn’t something he enjoyed about it.

“Just the usual,” Nine replied softly when he was ready. It was nice to not be rushed into making decisions, even one as simple as choosing how to answer an inane question.

Even better would be to not have to make decisions at all.

Connor gave him a gentle smile, then stepped around him. Nine turned, knowing he wanted to take his uniform jacket and hang it up in the entranceway. Connor was always telling him to leave non-urgent feelings and thoughts related to his work at the door, and this acted as a symbol that it was time to do that.

Connor patted his arm once more before moving a little further into the house. Nine followed him and spotted the back of Gavin’s head just poking above the back of the couch. He was watching television with the volume turned right down and the lights down low. Nine removed his shoes before walking toward him.

When he was closer, Gavin turned to look at him with a spoon still hanging out of his mouth. There was a small tub of ice cream in his lap. Nine noticed he was only wearing a loose t-shirt and underwear.

“Hey,” Gavin said once he’d removed the spoon. He licked at the bit of ice cream on his lip, but missed some in the corner of his mouth.

Nine reached down and swiped it off with a precise yet gentle motion. It was hard to detect in the darkness, but he was sure Gavin’s face had turned a little redder.

“Nine, you didn’t come home to clean up Gavin’s mess,” Connor said lightly as he placed a hand on the small of his back. It wasn’t as warm as Gavin’s would have been through the linen of his shirt, but it was still undeniably present.

“Shut up, tin can,” Gavin replied, whacking the back of the spoon against Connor’s thigh.

Connor rolled his eyes at the gesture, then they regarded each other with more serious expressions. Somehow, despite having no ability to form a wireless connection, Gavin seemed to understand what Connor was trying to say to him. Perhaps they had discussed plans for tonight in advance.

“You want to sit down, Nine?” he asked, pulling his feet further up the couch to make room.

Connor’s hand slid further around him to hold his hip. “Or would you prefer the floor?”

Nine knew that if he chose to sit on the floor, it’d be the last decision he would have to make until tomorrow. His processors slowed a little at the thought, abandoning less important considerations in favour of focusing in on the idea. After the day he’d had, the prospect sounded liberating.

He gracefully moved to sit down on the floor in front of Gavin. He read a slight increase in the human’s pulse, but in a way, the predictability of the spike was comforting. Nine settled on his knees and folded his arms on the seat of the couch, resting his head against them. The darkness of the room reduced input from his optics down to the dim blue of his gently pulsing LED against the arm of the couch.

Gavin’s unoccupied hand reached toward him, but Nine grabbed his wrist before he could make contact. He pulled Gavin’s hand to his mouth and licked the finger that was soiled with the sticky substance.

“I really don’t need ice cream in my hair, Gavin,” he explained himself before going back to suck off what still stubbornly remained.

He felt more than heard Connor move behind him, planting a foot on either side of his hips and letting the insides of his shins press into him. This time Connor’s fingers stroked up the back of his head, and once there were enough strands of sufficient length between them, he formed a fist and tilted Nine’s head back. Nine’s mouth naturally left Gavin’s fingers and he stared up at Connor, who raised an eyebrow.

“Is that really something to be concerned about right now?” Connor asked, firm but not strict. “Even if it is, isn’t it better to ask Gavin not to do something than potentially leave him a bruise?”

Nine glanced at Gavin as best he could while his head was still pulled back in this position. He knew Connor wasn’t really expecting an answer outside of agreement, and he didn’t feel like being difficult today. There was no point in saying anything out loud.

“It’s all right, he can finish what he was doing,” Gavin said quietly. He looked away from both of them, clearly not willing to elaborate further.

Connor nodded in acknowledgement, and then stepped back from Nine again. This time he moved slower and loosened his grip on Gavin’s wrist. He licked the tips of Gavin’s fingers with short, gentle motions, which removed the sticky and sweet mess with more efficiency than before. He tried to ignore the chemical analysis and suggested brand of dessert.

Soon only the small droplets that had dried from earlier in Gavin’s snacking were still stuck to his skin. Nine drew Gavin’s fingers into his mouth further so he could press his tongue into him more firmly. He glanced up and noticed the heat in Gavin’s face had increased by a notable percentage. He let his eyes trail down his chest, noting his breathing was shallower and more rapid.

Nine’s gaze returned to navel level, and below. Even without those indicators, the fact Gavin was only wearing underwear made it easy to see the early stages of his arousal.

Nine slowly drew off Gavin’s fingers while he looked back up at him. He was satisfied he’d cleaned all traces of sugar and cream away. He let go of Gavin’s wrist and then shifted back to let his hands settle on his thighs.

“I think you’re safe to proceed now, Gavin,” Connor said lightly.

Nine leaned in slightly, so that his position would suit Gavin’s reach comfortably. He was able to estimate this from knowing the exact length of Gavin’s arm. Connor noticed what he was doing and sent a ping of approval. Something in his abdomen felt warm, but he knew by now it wasn’t a faulty biocomponent, just a physical representation of his feelings.

If they could be called that.

Gavin’s rough fingers went through his hair gently and he smiled down at him. “Chill out, Nine. It would have washed out.”

“Yes, I still think you should offer a proper apology,” Connor added.

Nine was not opposed to the idea. He looked back up at Gavin. “Tell me what you want me to do,” he implored.

Gavin flushed. In the beginning of their relationship, Nine had found it surprising that Gavin had been so bashful about this kind of thing when he was rough around the edges in so many other ways. It wasn’t that he disliked the characteristic, but when he was in this mood, it wasn’t quite conducive to the state he wanted to achieve.

“What do you think?” Gavin asked as he shifted in his seat to make his hardening cock more prominent.

Nine felt Connor rest a hand against the back of his neck, and got the impression across their wireless connection that he would be rewarded if he humoured Gavin for a time. Connor sent him a program template, a familiar routine that he’d previously calculated would maximise Gavin’s enjoyment while using oral as foreplay.

The file would help Nine choose something effective, the means that would help him reach the desired end, but there were still many details left to him to fill in. How he would adjust the routine to their exact positions in relation to each other. How exactly the shape of his mouth and Gavin’s genitals would alter things, even if only slightly.

‘ _We will see how you go with this one, and then I will explain our intentions to Gavin afterward if you feel ready to go ahead,’_ Connor said silently. Gavin’s eyes were drawn to his flashing yellow LED, but he didn’t comment.

Nine could appreciate the slow build up to handing over his independence, even as his craving only became more apparent.

He sat up slowly, and the hands on his head slid away, leaving him to do what was needed. Nine leaned in and pressed his mouth to the underside of Gavin’s still clothed shaft. The sensors in his lips reacted to the warmth, and automatically measured his increasing pulse. He felt Gavin finish swelling to his full state of arousal and reached up to tug at the elastic of his underwear.

Gavin let out a small sigh as his briefs came off, and shifted closer to the edge of the couch to allow Nine to pull them down over his legs. Once they were out of the way, Nine’s own processes were guided into the form of the program Connor had relayed. He followed the instruction to reach out with his right hand and close it around Gavin’s cock, though it was left to his own programs to sort out exactly how far he needed to move.

Although Connor wasn’t sharing with him openly at the moment, Nine could tell that his processors were busy. Undoubtedly he was tweaking the next program to better suit the environment and the small differences between his body and Nine’s. Trying not to concern himself with Connor for the moment, Nine focused on Gavin’s face as he slowly began to stroke him.

Gavin’s face was flushed, though he sat stiffly with bright eyes. They kept flickering from Nine’s hand to his face. Nine considered telling him to relax, but the program was already encouraging him to lean forward and run his tongue over the head. He didn’t resent the urge to follow its suggestion, and Gavin didn’t seem to mind either.

“Shit,” he muttered, and opened his legs a little wider.

This triggered another suggestion in the program, and Nine reached for his balls, gently stroking them in tandem with his shaft. Gavin slumped over a little further, seemingly relaxing until his thighs began to tense up again.

Nine slid his hand further down Gavin’s shaft, letting his lower fingers fall away even though that detail hadn’t been captured in the program, and took him further into his mouth. His tongue continued to press against the underside of his shaft as Nine began moving his head back and forth. Every time he sucked while pulling upward, Gavin’s thighs tensed and his fists clenched.

Nine frowned when the program didn’t seem to continue any further. He knew it was meant for foreplay, not the main event, but it ended in a disconcertingly abrupt way. Nine pulled back, letting Gavin’s wet and flushed cock hang in front of him.

“You ok?” Gavin managed to ask after clearing his throat.

‘ _I should have put a loop back to something less intense, but Gavin looks like he’s ready to finish already,’_ Connor commented. ‘ _I will make sure there are no disconcerting pauses if we go to the next stage of this.’_

Nine nodded. He knew he could trust Connor to keep his word about something like that. “I’m fine,” he said, addressing Gavin. “But that wasn’t supposed to be the main event, so to speak.”

Gavin squinted at him, probably unsure of whether he was being made fun of. Before he could ask, Connor had taken control of the situation again.

“I think we should all take a break,” he said, quiet but firm. “Nine, go put the container in the bin and wash Gavin’s spoon.”

Gavin passed his rubbish over, looking a little sheepish. Nine took it and carefully got to his feet. He walked slowly over to the kitchen, knowing Connor would need more time than those tasks would take to explain things to Gavin. Or possibly, re-explain them.

He cleaned the container before putting it in the recycling, then wiped down a few things in the kitchen. He tried not to listen in, but that was difficult when he had so many options other than his physical hearing, which he had already dampened slightly. Gavin’s phone was sitting on the coffee table, for instance. The TV was capable of taking voice commands, so he could have also tapped into that microphone.

Once their murmuring had died down, Nine returned to the sink and washed the spoon before putting it away. Just as he was closing the drawer he received a ping from Connor, indicating it was all right for him to return.

Nine came to a halt in front of the couch when he saw Connor and Gavin were now taking up the entire seat. Connor had his arm stretched over the back of the seat casually with his legs crossed in front of him. Gavin had straightened up, and his arousal had abated somewhat. He gave Nine an unsure smile when their eyes met.

“I have explained our intent to Gavin. He is understandably a little confused, but he said he’s willing to help however he can,” Connor summarised.

Nine didn’t blame him for finding it strange. Why should he enjoy being treated like a machine when deviancy was always lauded as a gift? It helped him to relax and unwind, but he was certain other androids would find his preferences distasteful, and probably Connor for actively indulging him.

But then, after being known as the Deviant Hunter for so long, it wasn’t like either of them were going to earn android of the year any time soon.

“Are you sure you’re all right with it, Gavin?” Nine asked, unable to ignore the slight uncertainty that he’d seen. “I can finish servicing you and then just do the next part with Connor. Don’t feel obligated to participate when there are other things we enjoy doing together.”

“No, it’s fine. It just sounds weird. But I guess it’s not all that different to some of the things humans get up to when we get our rocks off. I’m not sure if I totally understand how it’ll work, but I want to try and help you.”

Nine automatically scanned Gavin’s vocalisations and expression for truth and sincerity. It seemed he really was fine to go ahead, for now. He knew Connor would be flexible and attentive enough to alter things if that changed.

Connor stood up and walked over to Nine’s side. He didn’t move from his position as Connor’s hand gently landed on his shoulder.

“I’ve been writing a program for you the past few weeks,” Connor explained softly. “I think I have included all the necessities for an… immersive experience.”

Nine nodded and glanced at the floor. He knew it wasn’t easy to create such a thing. There was always a risk that Connor would make him do something he found objectionable. For the sake of their peace of mind, Connor always left him with a small out, if he needed it.

‘ _Are you ready?_ ’ Connor asked silently.

Nine nodded. He felt the request to transfer a file, and didn’t hesitate to allow it.

Connor moved to stand closer to him, and reached forward with his other hand to start undoing the buttons of his shirt. It didn’t take him long to realise why Connor had stilted the speed of the transfer. He didn’t want to start the program until he had Nine fully undressed and ready to obey.

Gavin’s eyes were naturally drawn to the contrast between the pale skin of his exposed neck and the collar of the dark shirt. Connor paused in his unbuttoning once he reached the middle of his chest, then slid his hand back up, reaching into his shirt to brush over bare skin. When he reached his neck, he used his thumb to press lightly against Nine’s jaw.

This was all the encouragement he needed to turn his head and accept the kiss. Their lips pressed together more firmly as Connor moved closer, gripping the collar of his shirt to keep him near. Not that Nine intended on going anywhere.

He allowed Connor’s tongue to delve into his mouth, and felt a wash of familiarity as they performed an analysis of each other and shared the results. The associations he held with Connor were positive, trustworthy, reliable… If he was going to allow anyone to do this to him, it had to be the android in front of him.

Nine heard Gavin give a stilted gasp. Connor’s grip on him became gentle again and he undid the rest of the buttons. They both looked at Gavin, who was holding himself with a light hand while he watched them. Connor stood back at a slightly awkward distance so he wouldn’t obscure the view too much as he pushed the shirt off one of Nine’s shoulders while he stood passively and attentively.

“Gavin, please, control yourself,” Connor teased as he slowly pulled Nine’s shirt all the way off. “We aren’t even close to the main event yet.”

Gavin huffed and made his hand rub the inside of his thigh instead. “Then hurry it up,” he muttered.

“So you’ve decided what you want to do?” Connor asked as he worked on undoing Nine’s belt. The strip of leather slid out of the loops smoothly. Connor held it contemplatively for a moment, before dropping it to the floor, letting the heavy buckle land on the carpet with a thud.

Gavin nodded while he watched Connor’s hands undo Nine’s pants. “On my dick. You can use the other one next time.”

At last, the program had finished downloading. As Connor and Gavin’s conversation had hinted, there were actually two different scenarios. One where he would ride a penetrative object, and the other where he would penetrate. But the program didn’t have a starting line yet. He realised that was probably because Connor would have to tailor that to however he was positioned when he handed over control of himself altogether.

For now, he remained in his passive position, letting the pants drop down his legs. Connor put his hand on his back and guided him a step forward so he would get out of them completely. Gavin looked him up and down, but frowned slightly at his groin area.

‘ _You have to show Gavin that you’re enjoying yourself. He can’t read your wireless signals,’_ Connor reminded gently as he reached over to grope his underwear-clad genitals. Nine triggered the protocol that caused his sex organs to appear aroused, and he grew until the underwear felt restrictive.

Gavin stared openly as Connor began to peel off his tight underclothes as well. Nine smiled slightly when he noticed the death grip Gavin had on his own thigh.

Cute.

“You’ve got a nice dick,” Gavin blurted out. He looked up at Nine’s face. “We are definitely making time to explore the other track of that program later.”

“Gladly,” Nine replied softly. Connor hadn’t forbidden him from talking, but he had no need or inclination to say more than that. He stepped out of the underwear now that Connor was kneeling beside him and pulling them down all the way.

“Turn around,” Connor said as he added them to the pile of his clothes.

Nine did so, folding his hands in front of him instead so he wouldn’t interrupt the view. He felt Connor’s hand run over his backside and squeeze.

“Shit,” he heard Gavin mutter yet again.

Nine closed his eyes, amused. He didn’t dislike the effect his body had on Gavin.

Connor pressed the back of his hand into one of his thighs, encouraging him to widen his stance a little. “Give me the lube, Gavin,” Connor said.

Nine looked over his shoulder, curious, and saw Gavin digging around between the cushion and armrest of the couch. He tossed a small tube to Connor, who caught it easily. Clearly they had been planning this while he was working late.

Nine raised a hand to the back of his neck, something in his social relations program telling him Gavin would find the muscle in his back and shoulders attractive. He tilted his hips back to a neutral position after a few moments, and relaxed as Connor’s slick fingers pressed around the general vicinity of his entrance.

He didn’t need to be prepared as such, but Connor clearly wanted to make a show of it. Nine leaned forward, hands coming to rest just above his knees as he looked over his shoulder.

Gavin had shifted to lay across the couch instead, though his head was still turned to stare intently at what he and Connor were doing. The arm of the couch supported Gavin’s back and shoulders, and his hands gripped the cushion under him.

‘ _Are you ready to go ahead?’_ Connor asked as he inserted two more fingers and pressed deeper. Physically, he would be just fine, but Nine knew that wasn’t what he was asking.

‘ _Yes.’_

‘ _All right.’_ Connor accepted his statement easily since it had been backed up by the state of his other processors. ‘ _Stay exactly where you are while I adjust the beginning of the program. You will initialise it when I take my fingers out, and it will run until the end, or until you or Gavin request it to stop. You know what to do if you want things to ease off?’_

Nine made his LED flash between yellow and red in the pattern they usually used for this purpose. His LED was the only thing a program like this wouldn’t be designed to control. Not only did it provide him with an out, but it was also unobtrusive to his fantasy because it operated autonomously unless he chose to give it input.

‘ _Good,’_ Connor replied, and Nine received the final part of the file almost instantaneously. He compiled them together. ‘ _All right, you can run it when you’re ready,’_ Connor added as he began to slide his fingers out of Nine.

It was a little disconcerting when it started, almost like Nine had been forced into the backseat of his own body. His hands moved from his knees and he straightened up. There was a pause as he was allowed to settle.

The point of all this wasn’t to cause an out of body experience. In fact, Nine wanted to be very present in what he was being told to do.

Nine followed the directions to turn around, which had been programmed down to exactly how far apart his feet should be on the floor. The decisions he had to make narrowed, and the parts of him that had been made to scan, calculate and adapt quietened. His posture changed to something more relaxed and sensual, and he was instructed on how to walk over to Gavin just as precisely.

Gavin’s face was bright red again, or possibly still, but Nine noted some hesitation in his expression. There was no need to interrupt the program, though. Connor had planned for this eventuality.

“It’s all right, Gavin. I want Connor to make me do this.” He’d accept being instructed to do things that weren’t necessarily sexual as well, but they had wanted to involve Gavin this time. The program directed him to move his limbs in a specific way to sit over Gavin’s middle. “I feel good,” the dialogue tree continued, and then closed out.

Gavin looked up at him and eventually nodded in acceptance. His hands came to rest on Nine’s waist as he settled on top of him.

Nine felt the familiar indecisiveness of trying to determine what to do next. He considered leaning down to kiss or otherwise reassure him further, hundreds of thousands of slight variants of potential actions filtering through his processor in mere moments. But he knew there was an easy way out. All he had to do was trust Connor and surrender to the program.

He remained stationary, waiting for an unknown trigger that he was determined to avoid looking through the file for. It would quickly become obvious when it occurred.

“Remember what I told you to look for?” Connor asked from somewhere behind Nine. The impulse to turn his head to look was dampened by the fact it wasn’t a stage of the program.

Though seemingly illogical, Nine’s state felt like more of a relief than a restriction. But if any android other than Connor tried to do this, he was sure it would be far from enjoyable. Their similarities allowed him to accept his predecessor’s reliability and competence, and their closeness allowed him to put his trust in him.

“LED, right?” Gavin murmured.

The fact it was a solid blue seemed to calm him. Connor presumably nodded behind him.

“Are you ready baby?”

At Gavin’s words, Connor transmitted a variable to him, and the program steamed ahead. He rose up on his knees and took hold of Gavin’s shaft. Variables changed, and he stroked it back to an optimal state of erectness before positioning him at his entrance.

Nine felt his mouth curl into a salacious smile. “Are you?”

Gavin’s brow rose in surprise, but Nine was already dropping down. Gavin whimpered as he was finally given what he’d been waiting for. Nine let the program calculate his angle and pace for him, letting whatever it was that made up his own thought processes be carried away. His body entered a semi repetitive loop of motion, and without the need to calculate his own actions, the spikes in his processor activity smoothed right out.

He was pleased to watch Gavin melt into an incoherent mess. He moaned softly each time Nine’s body rose up, fingers digging into his flesh until his outer dermal layer began to fade away in those areas. His eyes were shut tight and his hips were pressing up into him even if there wasn’t very far for them to go.

Nine felt Connor’s hand trace up over his torso from behind. ‘ _You’re doing so well,_ ’ he said silently. Nine felt his hand move to become entwined with one of his, right near his thirium pump. Connor’s presence became overwhelming as their connection deepened. ‘ _Is this what you wanted?_ ’

_‘Yes.’_ There was no need to say more than that.

He felt Connor probe deeper, altering something within him. Nine waited passively for him to finish.

Gavin moaned under him and gripped his thighs tight. His head was thrown back over the arm of the chair, neck exposed. “Fuck, fuck, I’m gonna…” he began, and finished with a whine.

“Go ahead whenever you’re ready, Gavin,” Connor said quietly.

A few more strokes, and Gavin was ejaculating inside him with another moan. At that moment, Connor ordered him in a way that couldn’t be questioned.

‘ _Overclock.’_

Nine temporarily increased the rate at which his processors were operating. Time appeared to slow to a standstill, but in reality he was just moving faster. At least, mentally.

By contrast, Connor’s words were slow and emphatic. ‘ _Don’t. Do. Anything.’_

Gavin’s orgasm had triggered an end to the program, so Nine simply followed the force of gravity and finished sinking down one last time. Once he was back to sitting on his knees, his own programs would return to vying for execution. Prolonging this moment was the best chance he would get to feel free.

And perhaps a seemingly infinite moment of doing nothing was what he really needed. It was entirely different from shutting himself down for a period of time, as he had no presence when that occurred. Things didn’t settle, they just ceased.

‘ _Nine,_ ’ Connor scolded lightly, probably at the continuing stream of thoughts.

Nine focused entirely on finishing the movement. He was unable to make his body perform it any differently as he couldn’t physically move any faster and he was still compelled to obey the program, but he could make observations and plan. Controlling the impulse for a few moments more, he forced himself to pay attention to and enjoy a moment with zero expectations, and no pending actions.

Silence. Stillness.

_Home._

Nine only realised things had returned to normal when his balance sensors told him he was falling backward. He didn’t panic, partly because he could feel Connor was supporting him, but mostly because he wasn’t sure if he was capable of it in that moment. He felt Gavin’s penis leave him, and then he was settled against soft material and Connor’s body.

Something poked one of his ribs and he managed to blink his eyes open. He realised it had probably been one of Gavin’s toes.

“You ok?” Gavin asked, sounding worried. “You looked weird for a second there.”

“It was a second of ‘weirdness’ that I needed,” Nine replied.

But he was a little embarrassed. He didn’t think Gavin would have noticed anything, as distracted as he was.

He heard the couch creak, and then a warm hand came to rest on his forearm. “Should we move to the bed?” Gavin asked, but his voice was directed over his head, at Connor.

“There would be a little more room,” Connor conceded. Before he could start trying to round up enough coordination to get up, Connor was rearranging his position, and then lifting him.

When he was put down, cool, soft bedcovers met his synthetic skin. There was a rustle of tissues and fabric, and then Gavin was sitting next to him with at least some of his clothes back on.

Connor’s cooler hand turned him onto his front as tissues dabbed at his backside. Gavin stroked a hand through his hair, letting his fingers twist into Nine’s curl in a way he might have found a little irritating in other circumstances.

“Feel better?” Gavin asked, sounding less worried this time.

“Much,” replied succinctly. Connor moved away and let him turn back onto his side. He curled into the pillow even though it was hardly necessary for him to get comfortable enough to enter stasis.

Gavin’s voice seemed much fainter the next time he spoke. “And what about you, huh? Need anything from me?”

“I’m satisfied for now, thank you,” Connor replied.

Between Gavin’s warm physical presence and Connor’s intimate mental one, Nine felt like he had everything needed.

This had to be where he belonged.


End file.
